


Into You

by AmaranthPrincess21



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Other, Surfing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-31
Updated: 2015-09-30
Packaged: 2018-04-18 06:47:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4696193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmaranthPrincess21/pseuds/AmaranthPrincess21
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Being in a relationship with your ex-professor Erwin Smith is like a dream come true, but the road to happiness hits a few snags when you meet his oldest son Farlan. From enemies to friends, you spend more and more time with Farlan and you come to conclusion that not everything with you and Erwin is kittens and rainbows. And every day Farlan is looking more and more welcoming . . .</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Being in a relationship with your professor isn’t anything like it is in fanfiction. Sure, you have to sneak around at first, but once you’re out of that class, no one gives a shit. It’s not like the Dean of Students is looking into these kinds of things unprovoked. But then again, you weren’t open about your relationship with your ex-history professor Erwin Smith, so it’s not like a lot of people knew about you two in the first place. Your friends knew and after the initial squick they accepted it.

Sure, he was twenty-something years older than you, but it wasn’t like you were a homewrecker. He and his wife had recently gotten divorced and the sparks between you only really started flying after the divorce had been finalized. You were an adult and you weren’t ruining a marriage, so you didn’t see what the big deal was.

“[First], you’re as old as his youngest son,” your roommate Krista reminded you as you got ready for a date with Erwin.

 “Fuck that, we’re all friends with his youngest son,” Ymir reminded you from her spot on your bed. Irritation twinged in your body and your eyes narrowed in annoyance. “Does Armin even know you’re fucking his dad?”

“Hell no! I haven’t found the right time to tell him,” you replied, fixing your mascara. “And I mean, how do you tell one of your friends that in the first place? ‘Hey Armin, I’m in a relationship with your dad and yes, he was my teacher at one point!’”

“Well you better think of a good way to tell him since you’re having dinner with Erwin and his kids tonight,” Ymir pointed out.

“I’m sure Armin won’t be that upset,” Krista reassured you. “He likes you and if you make his dad happy then I don’t see what he’d be upset.”

“His parents literally just got divorced and now his dad’s bringing in a girlfriend that’s his age. If I were Armin I’d be fucking pissed,” Ymir said. Krista rolled her eyes.

“Okay, so Armin’s a bit upset. It’s not like he’s going to treat [First] like trash though,” she said. Snapping your compact shut you turned back to face your friends.

“How do I look?” you asked them, gesturing to your body.

“You look great, [First],” Krista said, slamming her hand over Ymir’s mouth before she could say anything. “You have a great dinner tonight, okay?”

“I’ll try to,” you smirked, grabbing your purse. “Don’t wait up.”

“Have fun getting fucked by your friend’s dad,” Ymir yelled, her voice slightly muffled by Krista’s hand.  _It’s not like that we’re only having sex,_ you thought as you made your way down to your car.  _Erwin genuinely likes me and I like him. We go on dates. We spend time together and it’s not all sex. Ymir doesn’t know what she’s talking about. What Erwin and I have is romance. It’s not some fuck fest, or something._

And yet nerves were boiling in your stomach as you drove over to Erwin’s house. You weren’t sure if he’d gotten the house in the divorce agreement or if his ex-wife just wanted a place of her own. He’d never really mentioned it and you didn’t want to ask. Talking about her, or his first ex-wife, was just weird.

It was a pretty nice house and somewhere you’d like to call home someday. Decent size, close to suburbs but not a cookie cutter home. It was a classic two-story home that contrasted with the Spanish style homes surrounding it. Dark chocolate brown paint covered the home, accents of white and mocha brown popping against the dark house. You’d been here several times before but never when his sons were home.  _It’s not a big deal,_ you told yourself, mustering up your courage as you parked on the curb.  _I just explain to Armin and his brother that I’m in a relationship with their dad. It’s no big deal._

Locking your car, you went through the perfectly manicured front lawn and up the porch steps, ringing the doorbell. Muffled shouting could be heard through the thick wooden walls and eventually the door opened. But it wasn’t Erwin at the door. A tall boy stood in the doorway, blue eyes giving you a curious look.  _Wow, he’s really cute,_ you realized as he brushed his messy blond hair back. Armin walked past him and his eyes caught yours.

“Hey, [First]!” he greeted you cheerfully, giving you a friendly wave. He walked to the door, standing next to the guy you assumed was his older brother. “I didn’t know you were coming over for movies with Eren and Mikasa! You came a little early though, but that’s not a problem! I’m sure Dad’ll let you have dinner with us!”

“Are you kidding, he’s going to be pissed,” Armin’s brother said. “He’s been making a big deal about this dinner for ages and he’s not going to want your friend intruding on it. Nothing against you,” he added, glancing at you. “Our dad’s new girlfriend is coming over for dinner and he was adamant about Armin’s friends coming over  after the dinner’s over.”

“I, uh, I’m actually not here to watch movies with Armin and our friends,” you began.  _Oh God, this is awkward._ “I’m dating your dad.”

“What?” Armin’s brother said, a dangerous edge in his voice. “You’re our dad’s girlfriend? You look like you’re barely legal.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you were dating Dad?” Armin asked, looking genuinely hurt. Your stomach lurched.

“I couldn’t find a good time to tell you. I’m sorry, I really would’ve told you but I just couldn’t find a good time,” you told him.

“What, so you two know each other?” Armin’s brother demanded. “Don’t tell me you’re in the same grade.” You grimaced and nodded. Before he could reply Erwin approached you all, a faint look of disapproval being directed towards his sons.

“You’re not giving [First] a hard time, right, Farlan?” he asked. Farlan glared at him, saying nothing as he retreated into the house. Erwin grimaced and motioned for you to come inside.

“I’m sorry about that,” he said, giving you a quick peck. You tried to ignored Armin’s grossed-out look.

“It’s fine, it didn’t bother me,” you lied.

“Armin, I’d like you to meet my girlfriend [First],” Erwin introduced you.

“Yeah, we know each other,” Armin told him. It broke your heart to hear a dark note in his voice. “We’re in the same grade and we’ve had some college classes together.”

“We run around in the same crowd, actually,” you confessed.  _This is a lot weirder than I thought this was going to be._

“Oh, really? Well I guess that makes introductions all that easier,” Erwin shrugged. “Come on in, Farlan just got back with dinner, actually.”

  
  


Dinner was just takeout from a local Italian restaurant. It’s not like you usually cooked when you came over, but you were glad you hadn’t lifted a finger for it. It gave Farlan one less thing to be hateful about, and judging by the dirty looks he was giving you he was going to find every excuse possible to make you feel unwelcome. Even Armin looked fairly cold, but at least he was making an effort to be nice, politely talking with you and Erwin during dinner.

“ . . . I mean, we got to a later start because we had to wait for Farlan to get out of Hammer’s math class, but we still got there in time to do everything,” Armin said, finishing an anecdote.

“You have Hammer for math? So you go to UC Trost too?” you asked Farlan, looking to him. He avoided your gaze, staring off towards the wall.

“Yeah,” he replied curtly.

“What year are you? I’ve never seen you around before.”

“Junior.”

“Oh, that’s cool. I’m a freshman like Armin. What’re you majoring in?” you inquired.  _I’ve got to get through to him eventually. Maybe if I take an interest in him he’ll be more friendly._

“Poli sci and math.”  _Or not._

“Cool! What do -”

“I thought we were having dinner, not an interrogation,” he commented, giving you another dirty look.

“Farlan,” Erwin began in a warning tone, but you put up your hand up to stop him, giving Farlan the most stern look you could muster up.  _Ugh, I feel like a mom,_ you shuddered.

“Look, I’m just trying to be friendly. Get to know you better. Can you just chill for like, five seconds?” you asked him.

“Like you’d be chill if your dad was dating someone  younger than you,” he retorted. “You’re my little brother’s age. You’re not even done with your first year of college yet and you’re dating a guy that’s more than twice your age. He’s old enough to be your dad. It’s weird and considering he actually  _is_ a dad. It’s just fucked on so many levels.”

“I don’t see what the big deal is. I care about Erwin a lot and I’m an adult. There’s nothing wrong with this relationship and I’m sorry that you’re bitter but antagonizing me isn’t going to make things better or worse,” you replied.

“You really don’t see what the problem is dating someone that’s twice your age?” he asked incredulously.

“Farlan that’s enough,” Erwin said sternly. Farlan stood up taking his plate and cup into the kitchen, dumping it into the sink. “Farlan -”

“I’m going out,” he muttered, grabbing his keys off of a ring and leaving, slamming the front door shut.  _What an asshole,_ you silently fumed, staring down at your pasta.

“I’ll go see if I can stop him from doing something rash,” Armin said quietly, quickly taking off after his brother. Erwin sighed and gave you a sympathetic look.

“I’m sorry about Farlan,” he told you.

“It’s fine. I’m sure he’ll come around eventually,” you said, fighting back a sigh. You wanted Farlan to like you. You really did. But he’d slammed the door of friendship in your face. Erwin’s hand grabbed yours, his thumb rubbing against the back of your hand soothingly.

“I hope he does,” he replied.

  
  


Your favorite grocery store was in the part of town that you liked to call the “Party Quarter of Trost.” It was on the outskirts of Trost around the southern downtown area that was full of nightclubs, bars, strip clubs, probably a brothel or two, and sex stores. And just a few miles south into the fields was a ranch where they held raves. It wasn’t a dangerous place to be at during night necessarily; the neighborhood was actually pretty decent but the drunks, druggies, and occasional crazy person were who you had to watch out for. But generally it was safe to be around there so you had no problem grocery shopping at night at the small and very inexpensive market there. And since grocery stores lowered their prices at night, when you went there at night you got even better deals and as a college student, you learned there was nothing sweeter than a bargain.

Loading up your groceries in the backseat of your car, you got in your car and started your drive back to your dorm. The speed limit through the Nightlife District was twenty-five miles per hour, but with so many people crossing the street and jaywalking it ended up being more like fifteen. It got worse as you got deeper into the heart of the district.  _Jeez, it’s going to be midnight by the time I get to my dorm,_ you thought with a twinge of irritation. Your eyes scanned the area for people, on guard to brake at any moment in case a drunk or someone hopped up on coke decided to jump in front of your car. But instead as you drove through the district your eyes found a familiar figure sitting on a curb and looking forlorn.

_What’s Farlan doing out here and why is he alone?_ Despite the fact parking near him would be awkward and you felt some resentment towards him for that awful dinner a week ago, you pulled into a parking space near him and got out of your car. It was freezing tonight and it’d be in poor taste to leave him on the streets. “Farlan?” you called out, locking your car and approaching him. He slowly looked up at you and a grin spread across his face.

“Hey, [First], he slurred his words.  _Oh great, he’s drunk, isn’t he? Erwin’s not going to be happy when he goes home._

“Why are you out here? It’s too cold. It’s like sixty degrees right now,” you said. He shrugged.

“I just needed air. I was feeling sick,” he explained.

“You drank too much, didn’t you?”

“Yeah,” he laughed. You sighed.  _Of course. What is with college guys and drinking?_

“Are you waiting for someone to come pick you up or did you drive here?” you asked.

“I took the bus. I should probably go to the thing and wait for it and figure out somewhere to go tonight.”

“I’ll drive you to a friend’s house,” you told him, offering him your hand. “Come on, it’s getting late and it’s cold and I want to go home.” His warm hand grabbed yours and you helped him onto his feet.

“I was wrong about you, you’re pretty rad,” he said as he got in your car.

“Thanks, I know I am,” you replied. “So where should I take you?” you asked him once you got back onto the road.

“My friend Levi’s. He lives over by the historical district, on Reiss Way. The apartments there. Oh my God I love this song,” he added, turning up your radio to nearly full blast. You cringed at the volume increase. But man, you’d never seen someone drunk so into something before. “I just love Paramore so much,” he shouted. “But don’t tell Armin. I used to make fun of him for liking them and he can’t know they’re my guilty pleasure.” He gave you a pleading look. “Promise me you won’t tell him.”

“I promise I won’t tell Armin you like Paramore,” you shouted back. He gave you a large, infectious smile.

“You’re the best!” he declared before singing along with the radio. _Well at least he’s got a decent voice,_ you thought as he practically screamed the song. S _hould I be concerned I can still hear him over the radio? Probably, but it won’t be my throat that’s killing me in the morning._ You felt torn between speeding towards Levi’s apartment and going there very slowly. Farlan very clearly needed somewhere safe to go, but God, it was hilarious to watch him rock out to Paramore. Not to mention he was being very nice and pleasant. If only he could act like this all the time. You didn’t even know someone could move like that while sitting in a car seat. He was swaying back and forth and doing something that looked like headbanging, his hair flopping around helplessly as he rocked out. You had to fight back giggles. It was hilarious and kind of adorable in its own way.

But eventually you made it to Levi’s apartment complex and Farlan, too caught up in singing, just pointed to give you directions. You pulled into an empty space and turned the car off.

“I was listening to that,” Farlan pouted at you.

“We’re at Levi’s,” you pointed out.

“I was listening to that.” You rolled your eyes.

“Can I see your phone? I’m telling your dad you’re sleeping over at Levi’s.” Silently he handed over his phone, telling you the passcode. You unlocked it and quickly sent a text to Erwin as Farlan.  _No need for him to know I’m involved or that Farlan’s wasted,_ you rationalized as you hit ‘send.’ You handed the phone back to him and got out of the car. It took him a little bit, but he managed to get out of the car by himself and you helped him up the stairs to Levi’s apartment. You knocked on the door and the response was almost instantaneous. A short, black-haired man opened the door. Farlan brushed past him and flopped onto the couch, burying his face in one of the pillows. The man, Levi, you assumed, raised an eyebrow at you.

“What’s up with Farlan? Is he wasted again?” he asked.

“Yeah. I found him outside a bar and I figured he needed somewhere to stay tonight and he said I should take him here,” you told him.

“And you are?”

“[First]. I’m his dad’s girlfriend.”

“Wow, I didn’t realize Farlan had a new mom.”

“Listen jackass, I -”

“I was joking. Calm your titties,  jeez,” Levi interrupted you. “Aren’t you a little young to be a stepmom?”

“I’m not his stepmom,” you said heatedly.

“You practically are, since you’re banging his dad,” Levi said nonchalantly. He put up his hands to silence you. “Farlan’s in good hands. You can go home now and I’ll take him home once he wakes up.”  _Just let it go, [First]. He’s just a jerk. Don’t let his negativity affect you. Do like Elsa and let it go._

“All right, sounds good. I already let his dad know he’s sleeping over here tonight, so you don’t have to do that.”

“You didn’t tell him Farlan was wasted, right?”

“What do you think I am, an idiot? I pretended to be Farlan and sent the message.”

“Good,” Levi nodded. “Thanks for bringing him here.”

“Don’t mention it. Bye, Levi.”

“See ya.” He shut the door and you resumed your journey back to your dorm.  _I hope he isn’t too miserable in the morning. Hangovers are never fun and judging from his level of drunkenness, he’s in for a hell of a hangover. At least if he’s an ass to me again, I have some good blackmail material._

  



	2. Chapter 2

If there was one thing you didn’t expect, it would be for Farlan to be knocking on your dorm door on Saturday morning, two days after you’d driven him to Levi’s.

“What? Farlan, what are you doing here,” you yawned as you opened the door. “And how’d you get my address?”

“I asked Armin and he gave it to me,” he replied. “Look, I know we got off on the wrong foot and I just wanted to apologize for how I acted during that dinner. I also wanted to thank you for not ratting me out to my dad and taking me to Levi’s Friday night. You really saved my ass.”

“Don’t worry about it,” you waved it off. “I’m just happy everything worked out fine.”

“Yeah, but I want to make it up to you for me being a douche. Breakfast and coffee? My treat?” he offered. Normally, you’d be suspicious. After all, he’d done everything he could do to antagonize you while you were at Erwin’s. But he looked genuinely apologetic and as you knew from two nights ago, he wasn’t all bad even if he’d been shitfaced at the time.  _Maybe I should give him another chance. He’s related to Armin so he can’t really be that mean. Not to mention with me and Erwin together it’d pay to be on good footing with Farlan._

“Are you sure?” you asked. 

“Yeah, of course! I’d do anything for my new stepmom!” You glared at him, punching his arm as he burst out laughing. If he hadn’t looked so good-natured you would have slammed the door in his face for that remark. 

“Never call me your stepmom again,” you warned him darkly. He chuckled.

“But seriously. Breakfast. My treat.”

“Well, I’m not going to turn down a free meal,” you said. “Let me get dressed and then we can do the thing.”

  
  


The on-campus coffee shop was bustling as students came in to get their caffeine fix. The line was out the door and all of the seating inside was taken up, so you and Farlan sat outside. Already the cast iron seating was uncomfortably warm. You shifted in your chair and knew you’d have impressions from the criss-cross design of the chair on your legs, as well as a few burns.

You weren’t sure what to talk about with him. The weather? Sports? Corporations utilizing memes in their advertising? From his silence, you guess he was at a loss as well. 

“So . . . do you normally sleep in that late or is it just a weekend thing?” he asked, making you snort. 

“Just a weekend thing. I got stuck with morning classes this semester,” you replied. He wrinkled his nose in disgust.

“They shouldn’t make morning classes. No one benefits from being awake that early.”

“I know, right?” 

“Mornings are just shitty, let’s be real here.” He took a sip of his coffee. “I’ve never been a morning person.”

“I can tell.” He smirked.

“You don’t seem like one either.”

“Yeah, I’m not,” you admitted. “At least, I don’t like having to think that early in the morning.” There was something nice about just sitting here, having food with him and chatting amicably about dumb things.  _Maybe there’s still hope that we can be friends,_ you thought, finishing off your food.

“Same.” Out of the corner of your eyes you could see Levi approaching you two, a young red-haired girl at his side. Farlan seemed to notice you staring and looked over his shoulder, smiling widely at the two.

“Hey, guys!” he called out cheerfully. “What’s up?” Levi and the girl dragged two chairs from an empty table and sat with you two. Levi’s deep blue eyes gave you a disdainful look.

“You’re having breakfast with your stepmom?” he asked.

“I’m not his stepmom!” you retorted, glaring at him. You swore you saw the faintest grin on his face.

“You’re Farlan’s new stepmom? You don’t look that old,” the red-haired girl said, cocking her head and giving you a quizzical look.

“That’s because I’m not his stepmom,” you told her.

“[First] isn’t my stepmom. She’s my dad’s new girlfriend, Isabel,” Farlan informed her. “But seriously. What’s up? I haven’t seen you two up this early in God knows how long.”

“Since you’re not answering your phone we thought we’d track you down and see if you want to go the beach with us,” Levi explained.

“Yeah, that sounds like a good plan!” Farlan exclaimed. “You wanna come with, [First]?”

“I don’t know,” you began.

“You should totally come with us!” Isabel chirped. “It’ll be fun.” You weren’t sure what to say. A beach day sounded fun but you barely knew any of these guys. But Farlan’s smile was bright and encouraging.  _I should just go. This’ll be fun._

“Yeah, I’ll come with you guys, if you don’t mind,” you said.

  
  


The beach was practically dead when you all got there. There were only a few people in sight as you spilled out of Levi’s van and onto the parking lot. You’d gone back to your dorm and threw on a flattering bathingsuit, visible through your white coverup.

“The waves look awesome today!” Isabel said excitedly, pulling her surfboard from the back of the van.

“They do,” Levi agreed, pulling his own out. “You surf, [First]? I have an extra board in here if you want.”

“Oh, I haven’t really surfed before,” you admitted. 

“What?! How can you live in a coastal town and not know how to surf?” Isabel demanded. 

“I don’t know. I just never learned,” you shrugged.

“Do you wanna learn? I don’t mind teaching you,” Farlan offered. You weren’t exactly prepared all that well in your bikini, but it wasn’t like he’d have you go out on the water on the first day.

“Sure, I’d love to learn,” you replied. He grinned.

“Grab the other surfboard and I’ll teach you the basics,” he said. Surfboards turned out to be a lot heavier than you imagined and you felt rather weak as you and the trio headed down to the beat, watching enviously as Isabel carried hers under her arm like it was nothing. She and Levi went straight into the water, both chatting and bickering good-naturedly. 

“All right, so you know how to swim, right?” Farlan asked. You gave him a dark look.

“Of course I know how to swim,” you answered.

“Just making sure,” he defended himself, throwing his hand up. “Put your board on the ground and let’s start with the basics.” You obeyed, placing it gently on the hot sand. He did the same and got on it, lying on his stomach. “So the first thing you want to do is learn how to paddle out. You’re going to lie on your board and move your arms one at a time, kind of like you’re doing freestyle swimming.” Cautiously, you got on the board, trying to mimic Farlan’s form. He propped himself up on his elbows, surveying your body. You squirmed a little under his gaze. “Move up a little bit. You’re too far back.” You inched forward, trying to hide your blush.  _He’s not looking at me like that. Man, my mind’s in the gutter,_ you thought. “Good. Try move your arms like this.” He demonstrated, moving one arm at a time in a circular fashion. You knew you looked ridiculous copying him and it didn’t help that he was doing it too. Right now you two probably looked like idiots. 

“Great, you got that down. Now the hard part.” he said. “The best way I can describe it is you’re doing a push up but you’re trying to get to your feet.”

“I have to do push ups? What is this,” you groaned, making him laugh.

“I just tricked you into working out,” he grinned. “It’s not really a push up, though. Watch me.” He got back on her board, hands clutching the sides. He pushed himself up and in a fluid motion he brought his feet under him and stood up quickly.  _I’ve bitten off more than I can chew,_ you realized “Hey, don’t give me that scared look. I’ll help you out. Lie down, grab your board, and make sure your feet stay flexed against it.” Exhaling, you did what he asked, gripping the board and ready to push yourself up with all your might. His warm fingers grabbed your waist and dug into your skin.  _Oh man, that feels nice. That feels_ really  _nice._ “Count to three and on three I want you to push yourself up and try and get your feet under you. I’ll help you out the first few times.”

“Okay. One, two, three!” With all the strength you could muster, you pushed yourself up and tried to make yourself into a ball, pulling your feet under you. Farlan helped lift you a little, giving you enough air to get your feet under you in a very low squat. _Oh God, everything hurts,_ you thought, already feeling an ache go through your arms and toes.

“That was good for a first time! Looks like you’re a natural, but you still need to perfect it before you go out on the water. Let’s try it again,” he said, and you had to fight back a groan. Today was going to be long. 

  
  


“Erwin, can you hand me some cookie sheets? I can’t reach them,” you asked him, arms stretching towards the highest cabinet shelf. He chuckled and brought one down for you, kissing your forehead. 

“I guess I’ll have to move all of those somewhere more manageable for you,” he teased.

“You jerk!” you laughed, lightly hitting his arm. His laughter was cut off by his cell phone ringing.  _Well, that was a cute moment while it lasted,_ you thought with disappointment as he took his phone out of his belt clip.

“I’m sorry, I have to take this. It’s the Dean,” he apologized. “Hello sir, how’s your evening going?” he asked into his phone’s receiver as he walked out of the kitchen. You put a batch of cookies into the oven and looked at the mixing bowl, still full to the brim with cookie batter.  _Damn it. I need to get these onto a sheet and baking or else it’ll go bad._ There was a step stool in the kitchen but the cabinets were so tall that even if you stood on it, you still wouldn’t be able to reach the top shelf.  _I guess I’ll just have to climb onto the counter and get it._

After pushing the cookies aside, you heaved yourself onto the cool granite countertop and cautiously opened the top shelf. From your angle, there was no way you could see into the space so your fingers reached and felt around blindly, looking for cookie sheets.

“Hey,” Farlan said, walking into the kitchen. “Are you making cookies?”

“Yeah, it’s for a club bake sale that Erwin oversees,” you replied. Your fingers found a sheet and you tried to pull it out.  _Fuck, it’s stuck on something._

“Do you need help? Getting on our counter probably isn’t the best idea. Or the most hygienic,” he added.

“I’ll clean it once I’m down,” you waved it away, swatting blindly at him. “I just need to get some cookie sheets for the rest of the batter. I don’t want all this going to waste.”

“You could just pop it in the fridge and wait for someone to get you a sheet. That’s what Mom used to do,” he said. 

“Did she make these a lot?”

“Kind of. She did them for holidays and bake sales.”  Just like I am, you thought.  _ Wow,  this really is mom-like. Making cookies for a bake sale. No wonder the stepmom joke started. _ You pulled hard on the cookie sheet. It came flying out, followed by several other sheets.

Leaning back to avoid them, you lost your balance and felt yourself falling off of the counter. But instead of the hard floor, you felt arms tangling themselves in your arms and legs to keep you from hurting yourself.

“I told you you should’ve just let me do it,” Farlan grumbled, putting you down onto your feet and grabbing the step stool. He easily pulled down the rest of the cookie sheets and placed them on the counter. 

“Thanks,” you said gratefully. 

“It’s nothing. Just make sure you save some cookies for me before you pack them up for the sale,” he said with a grin. 

  
  


The lighting in Levi’s van was surprisingly good as you dug through the back for food. It was dark outside, the black of night blanketing Trost lovingly with stars and a view into space. Levi, Isabel, and Farlan were still out on the water while you tried to find something good for dinner. _Crap, I didn’t realize we ate through Levi’s food supply during lunch,_ you thought with a groan. _All we have is stuff to make s’mores. Maybe that’ll be enough._ You grabbed the ingredients and shut the van doors. Farlan and Levi had set up a small bonfire earlier and you were glad for the warmth. It was still pretty cold outside and although you had a coverup and a sweatshirt on, it wasn’t enough to keep the biting cold away from your skin. Farlan was huddled by the fire, a towel wrapped around his shoulders. 

“Sorry, I couldn’t find anything more filling,” you said, sitting beside him and getting into the marshmallows. 

“It’s fine. If this isn’t good I guess we’ll just make a food run,” he shrugged. You pierced a marshmallow on a roasting fork and put it over the fire. Levi and Isabel were still in the water, both riding the same surfboard. Your jaw dropped as Levi grabbed Isabel and easily hoisted her into the air as if she weighed nothing. 

“Holy shit, how can they do that?” you exclaimed, watching as Isabel balanced on Levi’s shoulder as they rode the wave.

“What, tandem surfing? They’ve been doing it for a few years, ever since Isabel got good at surfing,” he replied, blue eyes watching as Isabel flipped back onto the board and promptly fell off, taking Levi with her. “Once you’re good at surfing we could try it, if you want.”

“Yeah, I’d like that,” you told him with a small smile. “It looks like fun. Although I’d rather do it when it’s light outside, you know.”

“Probably. They’ve done this at night before so at least they’ve got some practice.”

“I’d rather do it when you can see me,” you said.

“Same.” The waves crashed against the shore in a peaceful lullaby, the roar soothing as it soared into the chilly night. “I’m sorry about dinner.”

“You already apologized,” you said softly, but he shook his head.

“I did, but it didn’t really cut it,” he said. “I said some horrible things just to piss you off and that was a really shitty thing to do.”

“Did you mean them?” you asked. He sighed and took another bite of his s'more.

“I honestly think it’s really weird you’re around my age and dating my dad. I think it’s weird he was your teacher and that’s how you met him. But other than that, I didn’t mean anything. It was still a really awful thing to do.”

“It was, but it’s water under the bridge,” you said. “I mean, I still don’t like the things you said but we should move on. You didn’t mean it and we should focus on positives, you know?”

“Yeah.” Farlan stayed quiet, watching the small bonfire and finishing off his s'more. You sat by his side, warming yourselves by the bonfire and eating s'mores. Isabel and Levi appeared on the shore and came towards you two, both looking exhausted.

“Shit those look good,” Levi said, dropping onto the blanket and wolfing down a s'more. “I’m starving.”

“It’s not great but I think there’s a McDonald’s around here,” Farlan said. “I could go make a food run.”

You all ended up going on the food run. The four of you sat in the back of Levi’s van in the McDonald’s parking lot, laughing as you all exchanged stories while you ate. As you leaned against the beanbag Farlan was sitting on, laughing at the dumb puns Isabel was making and eating some fries, you felt positively alive. You’d been spending so much time with Erwin that you hadn’t gotten to hang out with friends in a long time. And although you had just met them, they felt like lifelong friends and in that moment you knew you’d just some really amazing friends.


	3. Chapter 3

Your eyes fluttered open as you woke up. You were pressed firmly against Erwin’s back, arms wrapped around his torso.  _What time is it? It feels too early to be awake,_ you silently groaned, looking at the bedside clock.  _Shit, it’s seven. I need to get up._ But Erwin was warm and his bed was comfy. You didn’t want to leave, but you did have to go grab breakfast and go to class. Reluctantly you got out of bed, pulling some extra clothes you brought in your backpack and getting dressed.

“What time is it,” Erwin’s deep voice asked, thick with sleep.

“It’s seven,” you told him, sitting back down on the bed. You bent down and gave him a loving kiss. “You still have time to sleep in a little.” He grinned and pulled the blankets up around him.

“Don’t mind if I do,” he murmured. You gave him a smile before finishing up getting dressed. Your stomach growled.  _I’ll have to raid his kitchen before I leave,_ you thought. Watery sunlight filtered into the house through the light curtains, pale shadows casted onto the floor and the walls. The kitchen lights were off, only sunlight pouring into the area. Farlan stood at the counter, jars of peanut butter and jelly next to him.

“Hey . . . Farlan,” you greeted him sheepishly, feeling heat creep up your neck. He turned back to his English muffin.

“I don’t wanna know,” he replied. He noticed your eyes on his food. “You want me to make you one too?”

“Yes, please. That looks delicious,” you said gratefully. He cut one open and popped it in the toaster. “What classes do you have this morning?”

“I’ve got a calc class at eight, then US History, then a stats class,” he told you. Farlan took a seat beside you. He turned his chair so he could face you. “What about you?”

“English, speech, and history,” you replied with a yawn. “I guess I’m still not completely awake.” The two of you chuckled.

“You two look like you’re getting along,” Erwin mused with a small smile as he walked into the kitchen. Amusement and a ridiculous amount of relief shone in his eyes as he started fixing himself breakfast. Farlan snorted, taking a chunk out of his English muffin.

“No, we’re actually throwing shade at each other,” you joked. 

“We secretly hate each other. I’m planning her murder right now,” Farlan added in a deadpan. Erwin chuckled. “Should I go wake Armin up?”

“No, he stayed the night at Eren’s. They’re going to school together,” he said. Farlan’s eyes slid over to you.

“It looks like I have a free seat in my car. You want a ride?” he asked.

“That would be really awesome. Thanks” you said. 

Farlan’s car was fairly small compared to Levi’s comfy van. He said it was the cheapest he could get and although he wished he had more space, it did its job well. 

“Plus, it’s more fuel efficient and as a poor college student, the less money I spend on my car, the better,” he said as he pulled out of his driveway. “I mean, Armin and I split car costs since we technically share the bill, but still.”

“Yeah, I feel it. I’m lucky mine was a hand-me-down from my cousin,” you replied. “I only pay for gas and insurance.”

“That  _is_ lucky. So, are you coming to the beach tonight with me, Levi, and Isabel?”

“I can’t. I promised Erwin I’d be his plus one at his friend’s wedding. How come you’re not going? He said you and Armin were invited too.” 

“I don’t like going to weddings,” he said while making a disgusted face. “No one’s ever your age and the only thing to do is dance and get drunk if they have a free bar.” 

“Well, you’re not wrong,” you replied. A familiar song came on the radio and you fought back giggles at the memories it brought up. “Do you remember singing this in my car?” you asked him, turning it up. His groan told you he did and you laughed. “You have a nice voice and it was kind of cute, actually.”

“Good to know I can sing when I’m trashed,” he said sardonically.

“Come on! I’m being serious!” you told him. 

“I am too.”

“No you’re not! You get that weird look in your eyes when you’re joking,” you told him with a grin, euphoria seeming to bubble up in your veins as you talked to him.

“I do _not.”_

“You do too!”

“Why are you looking into my eyes when I’m making jokes?”

“You’re doing it right now!” He laughed along with you.  _Wait . . . are we flirting?! This feels like it. Oh God, what am I doing?! I mean, I wouldn’t mind flirt - Shit, wait am I thinking? I can’t flirt with him, I’m in a relationship! And with his dad, no less!_ You glanced over to him. His eyes were focused on the road, rosy lips mouthing the words to the song.  _What’s going on with me? I . . . I can’t be crushing on him, can I? . . . Of course not. I have a boyfriend. I can’t be dating someone and like someone else. That’s ridiculous._

  
  


You stood in the foyer of Erwin’s home with Armin, patiently waiting for your boyfriend to hurry up and get ready for the wedding. He was still in his bedroom, you assumed, getting dressed and prepped. Already it had been twenty minutes and you were getting antsy. 

“Erwin, we’re going to be late!” you yelled up the stairs. No response. You groaned. “Armin, I’ll be right back.” You went up the stairs and towards his bedroom. He wasn’t there. _Oh, don’t tell me he’s in his study,_ you thought angrily. And sure enough you poked your head in and there he was, grading papers. “What are you doing?” you demanded as you strode inside. “Armin and I have been waiting for you for twenty minutes and you’re not even close to being ready! Erwin, we’re going to be late!” 

“I have two papers left to do,” he said.

“The wedding starts in thirty minutes! You don’t have time to grade papers!” you told him. “Come on, you know how Armin gets when he thinks he’s going to be late.” 

“I’ll be ten minutes and then we’ll leave, I promise,” he said. He made no move to stand up. 

“Fine. But if you take longer than that, I’m just going home,” you threatened before walking out of the office. _Ugh, I didn’t sign up for this shit,_ you thought angrily. _I didn’t sign up to practically babysit him and nag him like I’m his wife._ Farlan came up the stairs, a bag of cookies in his arms. He swallowed hard, blue eyes tracing your body.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” you replied shortly, trying to move past him to the stairs. He stuck his leg out to stop you from moving.

“Bullshit. You look upset,” he said.

“I don’t want to talk about it, okay?” you brushed him off. He gave you a skeptical look but moved his leg and let you have access to the staircase. You were about halfway down when you heard him speak up.

“Hey, by the way, you . . . uh, you look really nice tonight.” Your cheeks flared with color.

  
  


You stumbled on the parquet floor and you and Erwin left the dance floor, head spinning from too much dancing and going back to your table to rest. Armin was sitting by himself, playing with his phone. _Poor guy looks bored out of his mind,_ you thought sympathetically.  He should have just stayed home. You plopped down into a chair next to him and Erwin took the one beside you, his arm around your shoulders. The bride herself, Hange Berner, threw herself into a seat opposite you two, a big, goofy grin on your face.

“Oh my God Erwin, talk about robbing the cradle! She’s just a baby! I knew you said she was young but I didn’t expect she was  this young.” You cringed at the volume and her words. Erwin laughed it off, followed by your half-hearted chuckle. Armin looked just as uncomfortable as you felt. 

“Very funny, Hange,” Erwin commented as his hand squeezed yours. “Maybe she’s just robbing the grave.”

“Dad, please stop talking,” Armin groaned, putting his face in his hands. Hange laughed.

“Yeah Erwin, leave the talking to your future wife. She’s probably  way more funny than you,” she said. You fought back a shudder at the words “future wife.” It just sounded wrong. You were just starting college; now wasn’t the time to get married. Even in the future, you had a career and life to think about. It’s not like marriage could deter that, but it wasn’t in the picture for you for at least a few years. Erwin, on the other hand, probably wanted to get remarried soon. He wasn’t made for being single; after all, he’d remarried soon after his first wife left him. The thought of marrying Erwin filled you with excitement and fear. You really liked him, but was that level of commitment something you were really ready for?

Your phone buzzed in your dress pocket and you pulled it out, letting Hange and Erwin talk amongst themselves. Farlan had sent you a picture of him and Levi on their surfboards, Levi casually flipping off the camera while Farlan gave you a thumbs up. " You’re missing some sick waves," he said in a text. As if you weren’t feeling enough regret before, now you were really feeling that longing pang in your chest.

_God, what wouldn’t I give to be there right now,_ you thought wistfully, staring at the photo. Hanging out with him would be infinitely better than at this wedding.  _Although I really do love spending time with Erwin._ You sent Farlan a response before slipping your phone back into your pocket. It wasn’t just missing waves. You were missing  him. And you knew enough to know it wasn’t missing a friend. It was missing someone as a crush.  _God, what am I going to do?_

  



	4. Chapter 4

Your heart pounded in your chest as you rode the wave, cool air rushing past you. Farlan stood behind you, hands resting on your waist. 

“Are you ready?” he asked, fingers digging into your skin as he tightened his grip. 

“I was born ready,” you told him smugly. He chuckled. 

“All right, let’s do this.” You made a tiny jump and he lifted you up onto his shoulders, hands keeping you firmly in place. It felt like you were flying, the wind rushing through your hair and the ocean spray hitting your skin. “You all right up there?!” Farlan asked.

“I’m great!” you yelled back. “I’ve never felt so alive!”

“Are you king of the world?” You laughed and lightly kicked his back.

“You’re a loser!” you giggled. Before he could respond he lost control and the two of you fell off his board into the cool water. You swam back up to the surface and climbed back onto his board. He followed you, spitting out some salt water.

“You wanna try one more time before it gets too dark?” he asked.

“I can’t, I should be heading back to my dorm. I have a date tonight,” you told him, feeling heat rise to your cheeks.

“Oh,” he said, a frown tugging his lips. “All right then, I guess we should head back to the shore.”

“Yeah,” you replied with a nervous grin. “You can keep surfing. I’ll just swim to shore without a board.”

“Nah, I don’t mind going back with you. I need something to drink, anyway,” he said. The paddling back to shore was quiet, neither of you speaking. Once you reached shore, he took care of the board and gave you a small nod as you gathered your things and headed to your car.  _Man, he looks upset,_ you thought as you got in your car and gazed on Farlan. He was lounging in the back of Levi’s van, phone in hand and a sullen expression on his face. Feeling guilty, you pulled out of the parking lot and headed back to your dorm. 

_I really hope we have a low key date,_ you thought as you drove into town. _I don’t want to do anything fancy tonight. We always do something fancy. The only lowkey date we’ve had is when I had dinner at his house._ You sighed. _Maybe I should just cancel on him. I don’t want to go. I . . .  this isn’t going to work out. He wants these fancy dates and has a responsibility I don’t want. If things get more serious I’m going to be a stepmother and I don’t want that. I’m not old enough for that shit. Erwin is such a great guy, but I can’t keep this up._ You changed course as nervousness made your stomach knot itself up. _I really hope this goes over well. I don’t want to hurt him._

You pulled up to Erwin’s house, heart pounding in your chest as you parked and got to the door, knocking a few times. Armin answered, yawning and rubbing his eyes as if you’d woken him up from a nap.   

“[First]? What are you doing here? I didn’t know you were coming over tonight,” Armin said, letting you into the foyer.

“I just needed to talk to Erwin about something,” you told him.

“He’s up in his study. Go ahead,” Armin said, gesturing over to the stairs. You nodded and made your way to the back of the house.  _Come on, you can do this,_ you encouraged yourself. You stopped outside of the door, hand hovering in front of the door.  _No, I can’t drag this on._ Your knuckles rapped against the door a few times before opening the door. Erwin sat at his desk, grading papers. His eyes flickered up to you.

“[First] I wasn’t expecting you. What’s going on?” he asked, not unkindly. You walked around to his side of the desk and leaned against it.

“Erwin, I’ve been thinking about this for a while, and I think we should break up,” you told him softly. “I don’t think this is going to work out between us and I care about you but this isn’t the right thing for me. We both need different things and although I really like you and enjoying being with you, in the long run you can’t be what I need.”

“I can’t say I didn’t see this coming,” he said sitting back in his chair. “I agree with you. I care about you but we both need different things.” A heaviness lifted from your shoulders at his words and a light melancholy replaced some of that weight. It was good this was a mutual break up, but at the same time you were sad at having to say goodbye. He had been a wonderful boyfriend despite the differences. 

“I’m glad you feel the same way. I’ll see you around. I wish you all the best.” He nodded a small grin on his face.

“As do I.” You turned your back and walked out of the house. What now, you asked yourself. Your phone buzzed in your pocket. It was Farlan, sending you another selfie at the beach. _I think I know what I’m going to do now._

  
  


The blankets and pillows lining the floor of Levi’s van made a surprisingly comfy bed as everyone claimed their territory for the night. Tomorrow was going to be a full day of travelling; with Levi and Farlan graduated, they decided to spend the summer driving around the country with you and Isabel. You pulled your sleeping bag out from its protective bag and started to spread it out, eager to get some sleep. Two arms snaked around your waist, warm lips littering your neck in kisses and you giggled, pushing back on Farlan. He chuckled and nibbled on your earlobe.

“UGH, get a room!” Isabel shouted, throwing a pillow at the two of you. Farlan’s eyes caught yours.

“Well, this is kind of a room in its own right,” Farlan pointed out. Isabel melodramatically groaned.

“Shut up and go to bed,” she said, flinging herself down onto her sleeping bag. Farlan chuckled and slipped into yours, lips clumsily smashing against your jaw.

“Good night,” he mumbled. You echoed his words, slinging your arm around his waist and snuggling into his chest. His own arm wrapped around your waist and his head rested against the top of yours. Grinning into the soft cotton of his T-shirt, you let out a small sigh of contentment. Life couldn’t get much better than this.


End file.
